A Leash Then
Siobhan Jane
Summary: Ianto gets his first glimpse of the problem that is Gwen. Set around Everything Changes.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Torchwood does not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended.
Ianto stood at the ready with a tray of fresh-brewed cups of coffee and a cocoa for Tosh. The muscles in his arms burned from holding the same position for too long, but the team would be walking in the door at any moment and Ianto was nothing if not prepared. The weather was cold and wet, and the team would need warming up.
He heard Jack's booming voice before the alarm sounded. Tensing, he stood up taller.
"We'll just have to find a way to make it last next time. Suzie, run some more tests on the glove. See if you can find out what makes it tick." Jack swept a cup of coffee off Ianto's tray and bounded up the stairs.
"Right ," Suzie replied, taking a sip from her mug and retreating to her work station.
Owen took a moment to stop in front of Ianto. "This better not be decaf, teaboy." When Ianto didn't respond, he took his cup and sipped tentatively. "Good. " Owen pushed past Ianto, nearly knocking the tray out of his hands. "I'll run some diagnostics on the other victims; see if I can come up with anything else to give us a reason why the glove only works for a couple of minutes."
Ianto stood firm and balanced the tray on his arms. Realizing Tosh was still standing just inside the door, he asked, "Cocoa?"
"You are a doll, you know that?" Tosh smiled up at him and took the warm cup between her hands. "What did we do before you got here?" She squeezed Ianto's arm before walking off to her terminal.
Ianto let the now empty tray fall to his side. "Stayed cold and thirsty," Ianto said to no one, just a hint of resentment sneaking into his voice. He took a deep breath and put the mask back on his face before walking up the stairs to join the team.
He watched them work from the corner of the room. He could see Jack seated at his desk, shuffling papers back and forth.
"Tosh, find out who that PC was," Jack called out from his office. "Keep tabs on her. She's bound to have questions."
Owen leaned back in his chair to look into Jack's office. "I'd say she was too spooked to follow up."
Jack smiled. "Nope. I have a feeling about this one. She won't let it go."
Tosh hacked into the police headquarters system. "Do you want me to remove her from duty?"She asked. Her fingers dashed over the keys.
Leaning his arms on his desk, Jack thought for a moment before replying, "No. Let's see where this goes. Just keep an eye on her. Let me know if she's asking around about Torchwood."
Ianto took this all in. He wanted to ask how the night had went and who this PC person was, but he turned and walked up the stairs to feed Myfanwy.
Later in the evening, Ianto watched the team leave one by one from his perch just outside Myfanwy's enclosure. After the cog door alarm faded, he made his way down to Jack's office. He found him there, his head on his desk, snoring softly.
Ianto leaned against the doorframe for a moment, watching Jack, contemplating. "Need anything, Sir?" He asked.
Jack's head snapped up at the sound of Ianto's voice. He wiped the drool from his mouth.
"Still here?" Jack asked as he stretched his arms up over his head. "It's late. Go home."
Ianto pushed off the doorframe and moved across the room. "I'll just clean up in here first, Sir." He began picking up pieces of paper from the floor. "Do you need these?" he asked, bending down to pick up the wastebasket. He held it in one hand and picked up papers in the other, waiting for a reply.
He looked up when one didn't come to find Jack staring in the direction of his arse.
"Sir?" Ianto stood up straight. He waited for Jack's eyes to reach his before giving him the tiniest of a smile.
Jack shook his head, "Uh, no. Anything on the floor is trash."
Holding up the trashcan in front of him, Ianto replied. "What this is for…Sir," Ianto scolded.
"Sorry." Jack leaned back in his chair. "Forgive me?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.
"No." Ianto continued to clean up. He picked up the remaining paper off the floor and placed the trashcan at the door. He looked around the office for empty plates or anything else Jack might have left around. After being sure the office was tidy enough, he took a mental note to dust and sweep in the morning before Jack woke up.
He paused at the door before asking, "Trouble with the police earlier?"
Jack had used Ianto's distraction with cleaning up to rake his eyes over every inch of his body.
"Hmm?" he asked. He looked up to Ianto's face to see him waiting for a reply. "Oh, we were being stalked by a PC. She saw us using the glove." He laughed to himself. "Perched herself at the top of the car park so she could get a good look. She's clever."
Something in Jack's voice made Ianto's throat tighten. "Clever enough to figure out what you were doing?"
"Possibly," Jack replied. He stood up and walked around his desk. He sat down on the edge, just inches away from Ianto. "Took some initiative for her to go up to that car park. Shows she has a good measure of curiosity and a nice lack of fear. We might be able to use her. I've been thinking of bringing in another team member for field duty. Police background would certainly come in handy. What do you think?"
"Me, Sir?" Ianto asked.
Jack reached a finger out and poked Ianto in the stomach."Yeah, you." He snaked his hand around Ianto's waist.
Removing Jack's hand from his ass and placing it back onto Jack's lap, he replied. "Could be that a police background would make her, shall we say, reluctant to do things the 'Torchwood' way."
"Maybe, but she broke the rules to investigate the scene. She'll do what it takes. I like that." He stood up so his face was inches from Ianto's. "What's it going to take, Ianto?"
Hearing the blood rushing in his ears, Ianto tried not to stare at Jack's mouth. He squared his shoulders and gave his best flirty grin. "I'll get back to you on that, Sir." He picked up the trashcan and walked out of the office as calmly as he could, leaving Jack to stare after him.
~~~~~~
"I got a hit on that PC, Jack. Her name is Gwen Cooper," Tosh called out as she saw Jack walk up the stairs and make his way to her station.
Ianto, who had been watching Tosh work, walked up behind Jack as he leaned over Tosh's chair to look at the screen with PC Cooper's ID displayed. "She's cute," Jack stated as he quickly scanned the file. "Looks like she has a good record."
Ianto smirked when Jack pulled up and took a step back, brushing his arse against Ianto's crotch.
An alert flashed up on the computer screen warning that a background check was being performed on Captain Jack Harkness.
"Look. She's running a check on me," Jack chuckled. "She's a…what do they call them? Those dogs that just won't let go?" Jack asked.
"A bull terrier, sir?" Ianto offered.
"Yeah, she's a pit bull that one." The admiration was clear in his voice.
"Right. I'll go buy a leash, then." Ianto stuffed his hands in his pockets, curling them into fists.
"Tosh, create a file. Get me everything you can on Gwen Cooper and print me out a copy." Jack reached back and slid a hand down the front of Ianto's thigh.
Another alert flashed on the screen, this one a rift warning.
Tosh brought up a map of the city. "Looks like a disturbance at the hospital."
Ianto stepped back to give Jack room. Jack's hand followed, brushing slightly against Ianto's crotch, as he turned.
"Okay kids. Let's go," Jack ordered.
~~~~~
Ianto stood before the door for a moment before turning the key in the lock and sliding the bolt open. He pushed the door open and surveyed the room. Standing with his hands on his hips, he closed his eyes, relaxed his shoulders, and dropped his hands to his side.
He walked over to the monitors and checked Lisa's vitals before turning to look at her. He hit a button, and the conversion unit table rose up. Stepping up on the railing, he leaned over to place a kiss on Lisa's cheek before climbing down and pulling a chair over.
"How are you, my love?" He asked Lisa's sleeping form as he sat down and stretched his legs out. "The team is out for a while, so I thought I'd spend some time with you." He looked around the room, his face twisting at how dark and dirty the room was. "I promise to get you out of here as soon as possible."
He looked at Lisa for a moment to be sure she was asleep before continuing. "We may have a problem. Jack is thinking of bringing in this police woman to join the team. He thinks she's clever. " Ianto crossed his feet. "I tried to talk him out of it, but couldn't make too much of a fuss. Don't want him wondering why I care." He glanced around the room. "He seems to find her attractive…so, maybe she'll keep him distracted. And god knows, he's enough to keep her distracted. Jack and everything Torchwood should keep her occupied." He closed his eyes. "But after she settles in? What then?" He thought for a few moments, before answering his own question. "We'll have to speed things up. I'll make some calls, see if I can get someone here to take a look at you as soon as possible."
Ianto sat at Lisa's side for as long as he could and made plans, before the alarm he had placed to alert him the team was back rang through the halls.
~~~~
The team sat around the conference table, their briefing turning into a discussion on Gwen Cooper.
"Ran like a girl," Owen told Ianto.
Jack laughed. "Let's be fair, Owen. I told her to."
"She won't be back," Suzie declared before taking a bit of a chocolate biscuit.
Tosh leaned over and flicked the on switch for the wall monitor. She used the remote to check on her "Gwen alert."
"Looks like you're wrong. She's outside." Tosh brought up the CCTV camera coverage of the water tower. They watched Gwen walk back and forth in the square.
Feeling as if the air in the room was suffocating him, Ianto gathered their empty mugs before leaving the boardroom. He was drying off the last mug when he felt strong arms encircle his waist.
Jack's breath was warm on his ear as proudly stated, "I was right. She's a keeper."
Keeping as still as possible, Ianto replied, "If she can find her way into the Hub, maybe."
"Oh, she'll get in." Jack whispered against Ianto's skin.
Placing the mug down on the counter, Ianto pushed back against Jack. He could feel the beginning of Jack's hard on against his ass. He reached down and pulled Jack's hands away from his waist and turned around.
"Excited, Sir?" Ianto asked.
Jack licked his lips. "The idea of a new team member, what's not to get excited about? A new dynamic? Possible love triangles? Who knows what kind of affect PC Cooper will have."
Ianto's eyes focused on Jack's lips. "Careful what you wish for, Sir."
Jack cocked his head to the side. "Jealous?" he asked.
Shocked, Ianto stammered, "Of what, exactly?"
"My interest in PC Cooper," Jack answered. He grasped Ianto's hand and placed it on the front of his trousers. "There's enough of me to go around. "Jack smirked at Ianto's intake of breath.
Getting control of his emotions, Ianto smiled. "Now, Sir. This is highly inappropriate." He pulled his hand away. "And I don't see what I have to be jealous of….as long as PC Cooper doesn't walk in here in a three-piece suit, that is."
Jack snorted and clapped Ianto on the shoulder. "Well played. Keep an eye on the CCTV cameras. Make sure you're in the tourist office when she gets to the door. We want to make sure we make the best first impression. One look at you and she'll be dying to join." Jack wiggled his eyebrows at Ianto and bounded up the stairs.
Shaking, Ianto picked up a towel and wiped down the countertop.
"Two leashes, then," he said to the empty kitchen before leaving for the tourist office.
-End-